Of unsung heroes and a 20/20 mindset

EDITORIAL POLICY 20/20 mindset I n a country beset by violent crime, I am humbled by the courage of security officers who put their lives at risk every day. At the recent PSIRA / SASA Bravery Awards, they were applauded by industry leaders, including Fidelity CEO Wahl Bartmann who called them the country’s “unsung heroes”.

There was a record number of nominations this year, 34 of which were posthumously awarded to those who had died in the line of duty. Bravery doesn’t come with a higher cost and I think of their devastated, broken families and the certificates they accepted on behalf of their lost loved ones, which will likely be placed alongside the last photographs ever taken of them. And I am prouder than proud to be a part of an industry that is, at least in part, served by such honour.

Heralding the festive season and then the new year, the shops are alive with Christmas jingles and glittering decorations. It’s a time of year when people are putting the final touches to their holiday plans and trying to clear their desks, their diaries and their heads. One wonders what 2020 has in store for our beautiful but seriously troubled country, and indeed the world. Creatives everywhere are using the catchphrase “2020 vision” in their marketing and advertising initiatives, embracing a unique opportunity to say things differently. A quick dip into Google found the phrase everywhere: it was used in predictions around precision medicine and regenerative agriculture, and in announcements of new business leaders. Copywriters and wordsmiths included it in launches of digital banks and new technology, and it popped up in music releases and sports events such as the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

On the local front, I found the term in articles about Airports Company South Africa’s 2020 vision, which includes the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at the OR Tambo, Cape Town and King Shaka International Airports. State-funded energy albatross Eskom, with its R450 billion debt burden, appeared in my search, too, with its Transmission Development Plan, which will (hopefully) see the separation of its transmission and distribution divisions by March next year – and definitely see tariff increases.

There’s a lot missing, though. In terms of what should be state-driven priorities for 2020, I could find nothing about a high-level water security plan. South Africa, with its vulnerability to drought and poorly maintained water infrastructure, is courting disaster in the absence of a solid contingency strategy. In an article written by Mike Muller, Visiting Adjunct Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, which appeared in The Conversation, he speaks of a water crisis in South Africa. The country urgently needs a storage infrastructure with enough capacity to cope with regular dry periods, he says, adding: “If the infrastructure needed is not developed, problems will arise. And if water is drawn without restraint during a dry period, shortages will be the likely outcome.”

And there’s also nothing (that I could find, anyway) about a definite commitment around the prosecution of those found guilty of state capture. In his opinion piece published by IOL earlier this month, journalist, syndicated columnist and author William SaundersonMeyer says that while serious crime in South Africa is booming, convictions are down. “The expectations raised by the appointment of the well-regarded Shamila Batohi to head the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) have not been met,” he laments. “As yet, not a single prosecution has taken place for those involved in the brazen looting of the national fiscus. After all, how difficult can it be? The investigative journalists released voluminous dossiers on corruption, detailing the criminal behaviour of prominent figures in the ANC. They named these people and, despite much blustering, not a single defamation action has been brought. But Batohi deserves some

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sympathy,” he adds. “It is unlikely that she could have imagined how dysfunctional the NPA is.”

Originally an ophthalmological term for normal vision with its origins in the late 1800s, 20/20 vision is today widely used as an idiom. It’s perfectly summed up by entrepreneur and leadership coach Farshad Asl, who says: “When you live with a 20/20 mindset your path is straight, vision is clear, and decisions are precise. You see the bigger picture with a broader view and incorporate different angles and perspectives.”

Perhaps this is the best hope for 2020 South Africa, after yet another year characterised by state failures, delays and broken promises. Just maybe those who came to power on the back of turnaround promises, will do something significant in 2020, even if it’s in hindsight.

Surely, with the benefit of hindsight, they can cobble together plans for Eskom and the country’s national carrier South African Airways, which are bleeding money from state coffers; the crime situation, where more than 2 million incidents were recorded in the period April 2018 to March 2019; and the unemployment rate, which has hit a 16-year high of 29 per cent.

Maybe the powers that be will also take a leaf from the Springboks’ 2020 World Cup Rugby win, which, writes John Goliath in SA Rugby Mag saw coach Rassie Erasmus “learn from his predecessors’ mistakes in terms of player management and the need to put together a Springbok team that was fully transformed, but also one that could compete with the best teams in the world.” Goliath says honesty was key for Erasmus, who “didn’t shy away from stuff” and who, with a united team, “changed the face of Springbok rugby forever”.

South Africa has the potential to be a world number one if its leadership embraces courage, honesty and unity and a 20/20 mindset. As Oprah Winfrey says: “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”

I wish you and yours every good thing for 2020, and thank you for your valued support during 2019. Our next issue of Security Focus Africa will be on your desk during January 2020, but in the meantime you can look forward to receiving the 2020 Security Focus Buyers’ Guide and plan your 2020 growth strategy around it!